


A Departure from Manifestos

by Marauder23



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, International Romantic Adventure, Lesbian Sex, Post-Hogwarts, Work Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-07-12 08:15:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19943011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marauder23/pseuds/Marauder23
Summary: Hermione has been tasked with going to South Africa with the Department of Magical Creature Cooperation to enact her manifesto to protect the dwindling population of Erumpents. For her plans to come together, however, she needs to work with up-and-coming Magizoologist, Luna Lovegood. Looney Lovegood and her working together? Sweet Merlin, give her strength. Hermione/Luna





	1. A Rather Unexpected Arrangement

**Author's Note:**

> Haven’t written fics since I was in high school, so it’s been a minute folks. As always, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the magical wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling. This story was the result of realizing the need for more femslash in the fic world and two of my favorite characters happened to inspire a little plot bunny I couldn’t seem to shake. A shout out to a huge encouraging community behind this effort and said plot bunny: formerly The Potterotica Podcast, now Fangasm. If you haven’t listened to it yet, get your ass in gear and check it out. I highly recommend it!

Prologue: A Rather Unexpected Arrangement

She hastily shoved a quill behind her ear and her wand between her teeth as she quickly tucked the interoffice memo she had just received into a pocket of her robes. Hermione dashed about her cramped office, frantically gathering up a manifesto on the protection of Erumpets she had been working on over the past several weeks. With an already off-kilter stack, she added to the pile several texts she was referencing, and precariously balanced a half-eaten blueberry scone on top of her already heaping armful of materials. 

Hermione had been working for the Department of Magical Creature Cooperation for just over five years (during which, she had successfully petitioned changing the horridly patronizing previous name of the department—honestly, regulation and control—Hermione Granger would not tolerate working for some touted up, oppressive department name such as that). During this time, she had worked toward more equal treatment of magical brethren and had made some decidedly significant improvements in the treatment of magical creatures everywhere. As per usual, however, this great success in her career was met with a total chaotic decline of her personal life. 

Twenty-six, dubiously single, with no social life to really speak to, Hermione had rather fallen into a rut. After the demise of her and Ron’s relationship in which they both brought out the absolute worst in each other, Hermione had taken a decided break from romantic entanglements. Thus, she rapidly climbed the ladder in her department and had somehow managed to find herself as the Deputy Head of the Magical Creature Cooperation Department. 

When she had finally managed to grab a quick pint with Harry and Ginny to share the news, Ginny had brazenly asked, “Blimey Hermione, who’d you have to shag to get that gig?” 

And although Hermione had laughed along with Ginny’s jib, she also could not help but recall that it had been far too long since she’d had a decent shag. It had been eight months since she’d been out on that treacherously terrible blind date that Neville had set her up with. (How she had gotten roped into that painfully awkward interaction was beyond her—blasted Neville.) And to add insult to injury, many of Hermione’s friends seemed to be on the wedded bliss track rather than killing themselves for promotions. If she had to go to one more bloody wedding this summer, she didn’t think she could manage another round of patronizingly slurred: “So, how is your love life, Granger?”

Lost in this rather self-deprecating train of thought, Hermione was brought out of her reverie as she finally reached her director’s office, the Head of the department. Hermione balanced the pile of books and parchment in one hand and precariously knocked on the wooden door before narrowly avoiding having the whole pile crash down around her as it wobbled wildly. 

“Enter,” came a voice from within as the door swung open of its own accord. Again, getting ahold of the teetering tower, Hermione bustled through, pulling her wand out of her mouth and enchanting the pile she held to hover at her side while she sorted through what she needed. 

“Gadding, sir, I have that Erumpent manifesto for you to review before I send it out to the South African Ministry,” she began as she found the document and thrust it into his hands. 

“Excellent, Granger, but I’d rather like a word—” he began, but Hermione was still sifting through her pile of documents and texts and brandished Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

“Now, in Scamander’s work, he notes that Erumpents struggle during mating season as the males have an unfortunate habit of exploding their competition—” she carried on, unaware of Gadding’s interruption, and holding out the aforementioned text to him.

Gadding hesitantly took the text but remained looking at Hermione in exasperation over her diatribe. “Yes, yes, Granger, but—”

And again, Hermione rushed on with her explanation, “I thought perhaps we could work in collaboration with the South African office to monitor the males and strategically place wizards through the plains during mating season and—” 

But Gadding had had enough. “Granger! Do be quiet!” he exclaimed abruptly rising from his seat rather brusquely. The books that had hovered at Hermione’s side crashed to the floor as her concentration was broken, and she looked rather taken aback by Gadding’s outburst. Gadding, to his credit, looked appropriately abashed and resumed his seated position again. 

He cleared his throat, “Right, well… sorry, Granger, but I need to speak to you about something rather important, and you were in one of your work-induced rants I’m afraid,” the corner of his mouth twitched up into a maddened smile. “Really, Granger, you are quite difficult to deter when you are on a mission.” 

Hermione turned a delicate shade of crimson but managed to maintain some shred of dignity by holding her ground. “Well, that is how I wound up as your Deputy Head, isn’t it?” she asked flippantly. Hermione maintained her eye contact with Gadding but was appropriately quelled after her heedless ranting. They had a good back in forth that way and their mutual respect was clear as Gadding chuckled.

“Too right you are, Granger!” Now appropriately mollified, Hermione grabbed a sheet of blank parchment from the disastrous pile on the floor and fished the rather crumpled quill from behind her ear, ever ready to take notes.

“Apologies, sir,” she said, quill poised over the parchment. “What did you wish to speak to me about?” 

Gadding smiled widely at this. Granger was his most diligent and hard-working employee, and it was no wonder she had risen so quickly through the ranks. He had a rather endearing, albeit frustrating, way of regarding her as he might his own daughter. 

“Well, Granger, quite frankly, I feel your skills are being wasted with stuffy treatises and inane policy modifications,” he paused and was unsurprised by her rather scandalized gasp and floundering expression. 

“But sir!” However, Gadding subdued her with a raised hand. 

“Yes, yes, keep your trousers on, Granger. Paperwork is crucial, but I want you out in the field on this one.” He stopped short waiting for her reaction. She seemed not to have recovered from his dismissal of paperwork, however, and stared transfixed at him. 

Visibly shaking herself, Hermione managed to ask, “What do you mean, sir?” Gadding was like a Cheshire cat now, waiting to impart the big news, Hermione didn’t appreciate the shit-eating grin he had adopted. 

“I mean,” he began and trailed off to build suspense, “I want you to meet up with a Magizoologist in South Africa and work hands on to enact the manifesto!”

Hermione balked, unsure of how to respond to this. “Sir, are you quite sure you want me for this project? I do feel I’m more gifted with a quill than international coordination…” But Gadding looked as if his mind was made up as he thrust into her hands information on the arranged international portkeys and her itinerary as well as other travel logistics. 

“You leave tomorrow, Granger, it’s all set,” he said with a tone of finality as he moved to help her pick up the pile that had fallen to the floor earlier. 

But Hermione’s head was alight with questions which she attempted to stutter through while also reading through all of the documentation at top speed. 

“Your portkey leaves, from just outside your flat at 8AM sharp, Granger. It’ll be an old tin cup, eh? See that you don’t miss it.” And he was ushering her out of his office and placed the heap of documents and books in her hands. “You’ll meet with one of our Magizoologists straight away, and she’ll help you get settled.” 

Flustered with this turn of events, Hermione managed to gather enough sense to articulate one final question, “And who is this Magizoologist I’m meeting, then?” 

Gadding grinned again and stated baldly, “I believe you two knew each other at school? Her name’s Luna Lovegood.” And with that Gadding shut the door of his office with Hermione still staring dumbfounded at the door. 

She was going to be working with Looney Lovegood? She mentally reprimanded herself for the unkind thought. Luna and she had never quite got on the way Luna and Ginny did, but perhaps this would be a good opportunity to get to know the witch better. After all, she hadn’t seen Luna since Harry and Ginny’s wedding two years prior. It might be good to hear about how she was faring these days since she had clearly worked hard to become a Magizoologist since they had last spoken. But, sweet Merlin, if she brought up wrackspurts or Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, she didn’t think she could control a mutinous eye-roll from happening.

She sighed heavily as she made her way back to her office. Well, this was bound to be an interesting summer.


	2. Not Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys. Thank you so much for the stellar comments and kudos so far. Seriously so appreciative. It warms my little fic writer heart <3\. Special thanks to M_bitt, Nuxyie, and horsecrazy162 for the kind words and encouragement, and extra special thanks to aguslay for following and for your excitement for Hermione to face some illogical smack down.

Hermione toted her small suitcase behind her as she left and locked her flat. She had dropped Crookshanks off at the Burrow last night, to be looked after by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for the summer. Crookshanks always loved the Burrow for there were meadows rife with insects to hunt and the never-ending population of gnomes to pounce upon. Mrs. Weasley had been her usual matronly self and insisted Hermione stay for pie and tea while they discussed her trip. Harry, Ginny, and Ron had also made it over to the Burrow for a rather impromptu goodbye supper as well, and Hermione was grateful for it. 

“So, how long will you be abroad then?” Harry asked in between bites of Mrs. Weasley’s roast chicken. 

“Gadding wants me to present the manifesto to the South African Ministry, get their feedback, and help with implementing the regulations and safety measurements outlined, so I should think it’d be most of the summer,” she trailed off, attempting to look pleased rather than terrified out of her mind. 

Ron reached across the table and gave her shoulder a firm squeeze. “Hermione, you’ll do brilliantly. Don’t forget you’re the brightest witch of your age and if anyone gives you cheek, if I recall correctly, you have a decent right hook.” Hermione smiled thankfully at him. It was strange that they were much better friends now than they had been at school. Since dating and seeing how disastrous they were as a couple, the sexual tension was gone, and they could be around each other without being eaten alive by jealousy, remorse, and insecurity. Now they could simply be, and Hermione was ever so grateful for that. 

“Thanks Ron,” she pushed her plate away from her and settled back in her seat. “It will be rather exciting to experience life in South Africa and to be able to work with Erumpents directly. You know I’ve never actually seen one?” she said trailing off with a glazed look on her face, picturing what life in Africa must be like and how the beasts must be in reality. 

Ginny laughed appreciatively at Hermione’s sudden wistfulness. “And you’ll get to be with Luna! She’s a right peach, Hermione. Did you know she finished her Magizoologist certification in a year and a half? Supposed to take two and a half from what Charlie told me, but our girl finished it a year ahead of schedule!” Ginny looked fondly into her tea, recalling her last letter from Luna. “D’ya know, I’m quite impressed with her really? Getting her cert and making a name for herself abroad in such a short amount of time. She really is quite fantastic.” 

Hermione was surprised to hear that Luna was so accomplished in her field already. She had finished her Magizoologist cert in a year and a half? Hermione couldn’t recall reading about anyone else who had managed that feat. Of course, she knew Luna was intelligent (she was a Ravenclaw, after all), but the dedication and hard-work that her accelerated certification must have required was rather impressive. 

“Yes, she is. Isn’t she?” Hermione concluded, sipping her tea and glancing at her watch. “Well, I really must dash and finish packing before I push off tomorrow.” She gave each of them a hug and quick kiss on the cheek with promises to write before apparating back to her flat. 

***

Hermione woke bright and early and raced about her flat like mad to ensure she hadn’t forgotten anything. After her third time through the apartment, she decided she had best leave it, so she didn’t miss her portkey. With one final glance at her itinerary and a diligent once over of her flat’s wards in place, Hermione grabbed the tin cup, clutched her bag, and felt the familiar tug behind her navel as she was transported via portkey. 

International portkey travel was an arduous affair, requiring various documentation as well as adequate rest times and venues along the way. Traveling across such great distances in the blink of an eye took a toll on you. After stopping for portkey connections in both Spain and Nigeria, and taking several hours of rest at each location, Hermione finally felt her legs cave beneath her for the third time that day as her surroundings swam into focus around her. She had arrived in a back alley in Cape Town as early evening began to descend across the plains, the sun beginning to set along the vast horizon. As she gingerly rubbed her bum and dusted off her backside, she was greeted by a wizard in flowing white robes. 

“You will be Miss Granger, yes?” asked the wizard, smiling broadly at her and helping her to her feet. 

Hermione smiled in return, brushing herself off and rubbing her rather aching bum. “Yes! You must be Mr. Naidoo? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Hermione extending her hand. He grasped it firmly in both of his own, offering up a genuine warmth in his greeting. 

“Please, call me Lubanzi.” 

“Then I insist you call me Hermione.” And the two of them set off, Hermione clasping her bag, to the South African ministry where Hermione would be screened and processed as an international guest and acquire the information on her lodging. 

Lubanzi was an excellent host and radiated generosity. He helped Hermione navigate her way through the ministry, receive her necessary documentation, introduced her to the Department of Magical Creatures Head who was a tall, immaculately dressed black woman with a shaved head and a deep throaty voice. 

“I am Melokuhle Dlamini,” she stated, sweeping forward and offering Hermione her hand. Hermione felt awestruck and more than a little intimidated by this woman’s presence. Her hand was warm, her words inviting, and Hermione could not help a flush rise in her cheeks. 

“Hermione Granger,” she stated, taking the woman’s hand and attempting to stand up just a bit straighter. Hermione was entranced by the tambour of her voice and the immense wisdom in her eyes, and she found herself not quite wanting to let go of her hand. This woman projected a sense of warmth, wisdom, and clarity and Hermione couldn’t help but feel just by being near her, she too was becoming more competent. 

“Welcome to South Africa, Hermione Granger,” her voice low and mellifluous. “I understand you have a manifesto regarding our Erumpents?” she spoke with a fluid ease and self-assuredness Hermione wished she herself possessed. Hermione quickly produced the document for her and handed it over with an attempt at confident command. Melokuhle took the outstretched manifesto and placed it on the desk behind her. “I would like us to go over the manifesto together tomorrow. For now, Lubanzi will take you to your quarters to get settled and introduce you to our Magizoologist.” She smiled kindly at her and gestured Lubanzi forward. 

After they left the South African Ministry, Hermione turned to Lubanzi, starry-eyed and aghast. “She, your Department Head—I mean to say, she’s quite… lovely,” she finished lamely. In all of her years at the ministry, she had somehow never had a female superior and she had to admit it was a nice change of pace to report to a woman in charge. Lubanzi only smiled at her before stopping short in another alley not far from the ministry. 

“Indeed, she is. Now, may I apparate you to your quarters, Miss Hermione?” Hermione could only nod in reply and Lubanzi took her arm and side-along apparated her to a villa on the outskirts of Cape Town. “I’ll leave you here, Miss Hermione.” And with that he apparated away. 

Hermione approached the villa cautiously, unsure of what exactly to expect. She stopped short, however, as a voice called to her from the side of the villa, and Hermione caught sight of a lithe woman in a floaty white dress with a colorful sash tied jauntily around her waist. Even from where she stood, she could see the radish earrings hanging from her ears and see the piercing blue eyes, round and alight as always. 

“Hello, Hermione Granger!” Luna called from the villa. Luna floated down the steps, exuding her standard ethereal presence, but caught Hermione by surprise with an engulfing hug. She kissed Hermione on both cheeks and smiled at her as she caught her in a hug again. “It is lovely to see you again.”

Hermione stood back, taking stock of this new Luna. Although Luna still had her waist long, wavy dirty blonde locks, she was not as flighty and spacey as she used to be. She maintained a wide-eyed gaze to observe and comment in her same embarrassingly truthful manner, but she projected a confidence and competence that was not notable in their time at Hogwarts.

“Didn’t expect to see me in South Africa as a Magizoologist, I expect?” she guessed correctly. “Wondered if I’d have my Specterspecs and be writing for the Quibbler?” again she said it without a touch of embarrassment or unease. Normally, these rather bold truths from Luna tended to make Hermione feel uncomfortable and somehow pitiable, but Luna’s added confidence made the whole thing rather comical instead of disheartening and Hermione let out an amused chuckle. 

“And I suppose you expected me to be knee deep in magical treatises, surrounded by complicated texts and covered in ink stains?” Luna gave a shrug as if saying well, yes. And Hermione laughed again. “Well, you aren’t far off the mark there. Still at the Department, but Gadding felt the need to ship me off to make recommendations for my current project, in person.” 

Luna smiled again and grabbed Hermione’s hand, delicately pulling her forward to the villa. “Well, you must tell me all about your work. Since I received my certification, I have been working as a consult with the South African Ministry.” 

Hermione looked askance. “How long have you been here, Luna?” 

Luna smiled as she took Hermione inside and navigated her way through the villa with ease. “I suppose a little shy of six months. It is quite phenomenal here, and there are so many magical creatures here to observe and study.” Her smile faded a bit, but her eyes remained earnest as ever. “I do miss dad. And Ginny. But it has been quite an adventure here in South Africa.” 

Hermione nodded her understanding. Luna led her into a back room, which Hermione assumed would be her quarters. There was a queen-sized bed and small desk in the corner with a window just above. Luna pulled the curtains back to reveal a beautiful grassland savannah. As she reached up and opened the window to circulate fresh air, she pushed her long curtain of hair behind her ear and Hermione caught a glimpse of a water lily tattooed on Luna’s shoulder blade. Her skin pale and almost translucent, the lily was a stark contrast of vibrant blues and purples. Hermione felt herself wondering about the translucent skin, the meaning behind the lily, and if there was any trace of raised ink on Luna’s milky skin. Hermione was still transfixed as Luna turned around and a blade of her wavy locks fell into her face. 

“It isn’t much, but it’s home.” Hermione dropped her bag on the bed and they went back out into the common space. Luna and Hermione sat at the scrubbed kitchen table as Luna explained more about the villa. “It’s for researchers or consultants and their families to use while they work with the ministry.”

Hermione nodded her understanding. “Is anyone else staying here now?”

Luna shook her head. “There was a potions consultant that was working with some field herbologists for a while to try and find a breakthrough that will make the Wolfsbane potion obsolete.” 

Hermione’s eyes widened. “You mean—” 

Luna nodded, her face a mask of reverence. “A cure for lycanthropy.” Hermione’s jaw dropped, and Luna smiled. “I think he will be back in the fall. That’s when the locals say a flower blooms, only during the full moon at the base of the Manketti Tree...” she trailed off, her voice going floaty again. “Neville may be one of the herbologists that helps with the project.” 

Hermione grinned at that. “I thought he was teaching at Hogwarts?” Luna smiled and gazed dreamily out the window.

“The last we spoke he was thinking of taking a sabbatical and bringing Hannah down while he works on the project. Now that she’s got The Leaky running like clockwork, he thinks it might be the only time he’s able to work on something like this before they have children.” Hermione spit a bit of her water out at that comment. 

“Merlin, are our friends having children already? It’s bad enough they’re all flitting off and getting married.” 

Luna offered Hermione a drifty eyed smile. “Some want marriage and children and to live a domestic life…” 

Hermione looked humbled before she caught Luna giving a mischievous grin. Since when did Luna give mischievous grins? she thought to herself. “But not us,” Luna concluded. 

And Hermione couldn’t help but feel her face crack into a smile that reached from ear to ear. “Not us,” she agreed, and she reached across the table for Luna’s hand, to squeeze her encouragingly. What Hermione was not expecting was a surge of electricity at Luna’s touch. She looked up at Luna, unsure if she felt it as well. Luna wasn’t smiling anymore, and instead, covered Hermione’s hand with her own, tracing small circles along the back of her hand. 

Hermione felt her stomach clench. A feeling of anticipation and a warm sensation unexpectedly gripping her. Her reaction should have been to rip her hand away. To primly retract her hands and fold them into her lap in an unobtrusive manner. Unbeknownst to her logical side, Hermione’s other hand had a mind of its own. She felt herself brush her fingertips across the back of Luna’s arm, tracing unknown patterns along her flesh. She felt Luna shiver, although it was quite a comfortable temperature in the room. The shiver seemed to awaken Logical Hermione from her trance, and she pulled her hands back across the table and brusquely into her lap. 

“Well…” she stuttered rather flushed and breathless. “I’d best be off to bed. We’ve got an early day tomorrow and I want to be well rested.” 

Luna nodded and offered a small smile. “Of course,” she said, standing from the table as well. “And Hermione,” Hermione turned back in the doorway, on the precipice of walking down the hall. “If you should need anything,” she said walking over to Hermione before turning off the kitchen light. She was now even with Hermione standing by her side in the doorway, and was it just Hermione’s imagination or was she standing closer than absolutely necessary? “I’m just down the hall.” 

And with that, Luna turned and walked away, leaving Hermione feeling a bit shaken and with an odd aura of want in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leaving you on a bit of a cliff-hanger team. If I get 10 more comments and 20 more kudos, I’ll post the next chapter ASAP. Otherwise, expect the next installment next week  
> 
> In the meantime let me know a couple of things: what do you think of Luna’s characterization here? How do you feel about Ron? I know a lot of the fandom rags on Ron, but I really love him as a character in all of his flawed glory, so I couldn’t bring myself to make him a terrible ex. What are your thoughts on the South African setting? I did my best to research quite a bit with this fix including the time change from London to Cape Town, climate, language, name selection, history, flora and fauna… So give me a shout and let me know if this feels relevant and well-crafted or if I need to do a better job on that. 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are Butterbeer on a cold day and Wizard Crackers at the Christmas Feast. 
> 
> <3 Megan


	3. Allow Yourself to Feel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to our commenters from chapter two: aguslay, Seamus_Fanigan, Nuxyie, Stinobear, Vesperidian, and M_bitt. Thank you so much to those who have bookmarked this story or given kudos. Y’all give me LIFE! This chapter we get more interaction between Hermione and Luna, and more background on both of them. Tension is a brewin’! 
> 
> I did update the chapter count for this story, so you will notice we have six chapters total and are therefore halfway through! The more kudos and comments I get, the earlier I will post the next installment. Thank you, dear readers. Reading your comments and kudos is like kicking off of a broom for the first time. :)

“But we cannot give up—” 

“The Erumpents will be pushed too far to the east—”

“Sy is ‘n dwaas!” 

Melokuhle held up one hand, her gaze focused on the maps spread across the expansive table. The room fell quiet and Hermione was impressed with the poise and power the woman managed to emanate; her composure and confidence effectively silencing them all. 

Hermione had presented the manifesto to the South African Department of Magical Creatures staff. The entire Beasts division was present and although she was initially intimidated, Hermione managed to effectively express the work she had been passionately engulfed in over the past three months. 

While her ideas were well received, how to get her plan off the ground was proving a bigger challenge. Melokuhle finally shifted her scrutinizing stare from the maps to the doorway. “Ms. Lovegood?” 

Hermione’s head jerked upward so swiftly she thought she heard her neck crack. When had Luna arrived? She was tucked into the far end of the room by the entrance, her hair pinned up under a hat that had effectively hidden her from immediate attention. 

Luna floated forward, impervious to the stares that followed her. She bent over the table and pointed to a segment of the map previously unmentioned by the team assembled.

“If we close off the Gauteng channel for a few days, we’ll force the herd further south. There they will be forced to spread out in the open grassland and we can begin to differentiate the males,” Luna stated breezily, her eyes round as she looked back up to address Melokuhle. 

Melokuhle closed her eyes, gave a brief nod and smiled at Luna. “Ja, see it is done!” And with that dismissal and directive, everyone bustled to their tasks. Luna looked up to see Hermione staring at her with her mouth slightly open. Entranced, Hermione made her way over to the other woman. 

“Luna that was—” she blurted in disbelief, shaking her head incredulously. Luna just met her stare and Hermione couldn’t help but laugh, “Brilliant.” 

The corners of Luna’s mouth twitched up momentarily. “It was the most logical solution.”

Hermione could not suspend her disbelief any longer and let out a long peel of laughter. “You really are quite impressive, you know?” the witch stated between pouts of laughter. Hermione reached over and squeezed her arm, trying to not flush as she maintained eye contact. “Good work,” she stuttered before exiting the meeting as well. 

Melokuhle watched the exchanged from her perch at the front of the room, her eyes shifting between the two as if she was a lioness watching her prey. As Hermione departed, Melokuhle strode forward to meet Luna, her expression solemn. A ghost of a smile was still lingering on Luna’s face as Melokuhle approached her. 

“Luna, wees versigtig. Be careful,” she said gently, giving the younger woman a concerned look. “Don’t forget, my liewe, the mind is not so strong as the heart.” With that, she departed, leaving Luna alone, consumed with her thoughts.

***

Hermione crashed into the dirt, again, and managed to dust herself off quickly, looking mutinously at the broom in her hand. Why did they have to fly over the grasslands, she thought to herself mutinously. She had seen a lovely Jeep parked in town that would have been much easier to navigate. As it would not be air born. Like this damned broomstick!

“Miss Hermione, are you all right?” Lubanzi called from a short distance astride his Comet 260. 

She had to use all of her facial control to not send him a furious scowl. “Just fine! Thank you, Lubanzi,” she said, flinging her leg over her broom and attempting to get in the air again. She ground her teeth together in concentration and kicked off with ferocity. Her broom shot up and she couldn’t help but let out a whoop of triumph as she punched the air. But… oh no, her broom handle seemed to tip down of its own blasted accord and Hermione went careening to the ground again, landing in a splayed heap with her jaunty safari hat lying half a kilo away from her. 

Damned broomstick!

Lubanzi looked as though he might be heading back toward her, when another person called, “It’s alright, Lubanzi, I’ll help Miss Granger!” And with that, Hermione looked up into the rather blinding sun, only to see a willowy blonde girl gazing down at her, extending her hand for assistance. “Are you quite alright?” she asked with concern edging her otherwise lofty voice. 

Hermione took the proffered arm with gratitude, although still in a markedly sullen mood. “Yes, yes…” she trailed off dismissively, once again giving the death stick an almighty glare. “This broom is just being intolerably difficult,” she huffed, dusting herself off. 

Luna smiled kindly at her, fetching the broom where it had fallen a few yards away. She held the broom out beside her and it floated at the proper mounting height, and Hermione could not help the frustrated growl that escaped her lips. Why wouldn’t it do that for her? She felt like a blasted fool and horrified, Hermione felt angry tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She closed her eyes, attempting to ground herself and calm her dejected self-anger for being such an idiot. 

Luna said nothing, but approached Hermione and grabbed one of her hands, placing it on her own chest. Hermione’s eyes flew open wildly, confused and alarmed, but Luna motioned for her to place her other hand on her own heart. “Listen, and breath with me,” Luna remarked quietly. 

Although Hermione felt a bit ridiculous, she did as Luna instructed her and felt her heart rate slow to a less erratic pace. She closed her eyes and focused on Luna’s steady, reassuring and strong heartbeat, and allowed herself to be coaxed into a meditative state. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to open and found Luna giving her a kind smile. Luna let go of Hermione’s hand and allowed it to fall back to her side. 

“Hermione, you are incredibly capable, and I know you understand the mechanics of flying, but I want you to let go of what you know and allow yourself to feel,” Luna breathed quietly, as she once again stood next to the broom floating at her side. She held her hand hovering over the broom and Hermione could see it vibrate with anticipation as it nudged its way into her hand as a dog might nudge its master for a head scratch. 

Again, Luna gently grabbed Hermione’s hand and held it over the broom with her own. Hermione struggled to regulate her breathing again, as Luna stood rather close to her, but Luna guided her by audibly breathing in and out for Hermione’s benefit to match her pace. Hermione struggled to quiet her mind and put aside all of the information she had gathered about broom flying over the years. She doubted knowing the charms that gave the broom the ability to fly or the history of betwitching broomsticks would be that helpful in her attempt to ride one. 

Hermione breathed with Luna, focused on her chest rising and falling, and brought her attention to the broom’s handle, the warmth it radiated, and the vibrant feeling it emanated: playful, excited, and adventurous. She felt the handle of the broom brush against her palm, and it took all of her willpower not to whoop again.

“Excellent Hermione,” Luna whispered, excitement palpable in her tone. “Now, mount your broom and reach out with your feelings. Let your mind go quiet and focus on the connection with your broom.” Hermione did as Luna instructed and opened her eyes, keeping her breathing even and steady, focusing on the feeling of the broom beneath her and her desire to fly. 

Again, Hermione kicked off, more gently this time, and allowing the broom to take the lead and feel her changed demeanor. Hermione floated up and chanced shifting her grip on the broom to encourage it forward. The broom responded to her touch and Hermione’s smile engulfed her face. Her cheeks flushed with excitement and her heart pumping with the exhilaration of her accomplishment. 

Luna glided to her side on her own broom. “Good work, Hermione,” she praised as she moved ahead to meet up with Lubanzi. 

The group glided over the grasslands, tracking the Erumpents’ current movements and ensuring they knew the geographical lay of the land as they would have to anticipate the travel patterns of the Erumpents during mating season. Hermione’s breath was taken away by the majestic creatures. They reminded her of the rhinos she had seen with her parents in the London Zoo so long ago. Before she had known she was a witch. It all felt like a lifetime ago. The London Zoo no longer housed rhinos as they were such an endangered species. Hermione was determined that Erumpents would not find themselves in a similar fate. As they passed over the herd again, Hermione couldn’t help but feel her heart swell looking at these great beasts in the African plains. She felt a kinship with them and silently vowed to herself that she would protect these beautiful creatures, whatever the cost.  


***

Luna finely chopped an onion as she allowed the oil to heat in the pan. Hermione sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by maps and various documents regarding Erumpents. Hermione paused in her reading, to look up at Luna while she methodically prepared their dinner.

“Are you sure you don’t want any help, Luna?” Hermione asked uncertainly, putting down the map she had been pouring over. 

Luna glanced up from her chopping to address Hermione, “No, I’m fine, thank you. Besides, I want you to simply experience your first dinner here,” she finished tossing the onions into the pan to sauté. “I’m making a Cape Malay chicken curry with yellow rice. Very traditional fare here in South Africa, originating from the enslaved peoples of Indonesia, India, and Malaysia. The country has a rather brutal history, but I believe knowing the roots of these places and peoples helps us better understand the culture and climate of the country. Don’t you?” she asked rather matter-of-factly. Hermione appreciated Luna’s directness and frank honesty, even when it did make her squirm a bit. 

Hermione rose and took a seat at the kitchen island to better converse with Luna. “I do actually,” Hermione responded giving Luna an appreciative nod. “I think only by understanding the past, as well as previous motivations and intentions, can we hope to move forward in any progressive way, learning from past mistakes,” she responded staring at the back of Luna’s head as she continued to sweep about the kitchen, preparing the meal. Luna turned and gave Hermione a small smile as if to say, thank you for understanding. 

Luna again returned to cooking, and Hermione watched her from her perch at the island. “Luna, how have you been? It’s been two years since we’ve seen each other, and last we interacted we didn’t really talk that much as the day was filled with the insanity of our friends’ wedding,” Hermione recalled with a laugh of exasperation. Ginny and Harry’s wedding had been chaos and although both Hermione and Luna were bridesmaids, they hadn’t really been able to have a truly good chin wag with each other about their own lives. 

Luna added the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, stirring the pot once and turning the heat down to simmer. She turned to Hermione and sat across from her at the island. She took a breath, “Well… it has been a bit hectic, what with the accelerated program and living abroad for the past six months. I do suppose those things take a toll on you,” she stated again matter-of-factly, with a rather blank expression that couldn’t help but concern Hermione. For someone so in touch with herself, Hermione couldn’t help but feel Luna was rather disconnecting herself from this topic. 

Luna stared out a side window, and Hermione continued to look straight at her as she responded, “It sounds like it must have been a difficult time. All that studying and then moving somewhere you know no one… it must have been rather—lonely.” Luna’s gaze swiveled back to meet her. And she promptly dropped her gaze to the table before getting up to stir the pot again, with her back to Hermione. 

“Yes…” Luna responded vaguely. “I suppose so.” But Luna said no more on the topic and Hermione did not wish to pry. They stuck to safe topics after that, around work, Luna’s studies, and Erumpents. As they finally sat down to dinner an hour and a half later, they were both in quite good spirits, and finally the topic of their mutual friends came up. 

“So,” Luna began, placing the curry dish and the bowl of rice in the center of the table to serve themselves, “How is everyone then? Ginny, Harry, Neville… Ron?” She looked uncertain if she should bring up Ron and Hermione knew she would need to explain the situation to her to alleviate the awkward air that had fallen over the table. 

“Luna, it’s alright. I’m fine talking about Ron,” and although Luna’s expression didn’t change, Hermione could tell the air cleared slightly. “Honestly, we’re better friends now than before we dated,” Hermione said blandly. “We had a rather unhealthy friendship beforehand, come to think of it.” 

Luna snorted into her chicken curry, and Hermione’s eyes went wide as she laughed too. “Well clearly you have thoughts about this.” Luna grinned in response before articulating a reply. 

“It just seemed as though you both wanted to ‘one up’ each other,” Luna commented, taking a sip from her wine. 

Hermione guffawed at that. “Too right!” she exclaimed. “After we tried dating, we knew it just wasn’t right. Years of jealousy and vindictively trying to outdo one another was shockingly not a great start to a relationship.” She shook her head again as Luna chuckled. “I think it was just a lot of pent up teenage sexual tension, and when we finally acted on it, it just didn’t feel right, you know?” Hermione asked attempting to control her blush at this topic. 

Luna looked diplomatically back at her, swallowing her bite before responding. “I see… so, after being—intimate, you decided to call it quits?” Hermione balked at the simplifying of something that still felt a bit awkward to her. 

“Well, we just couldn’t… you know,” she flushed, squirming under Luna’s gaze and taking a rather desperate gulp of wine. Merlin, how had they gotten onto this topic?

“Orgasm?” Luna finished bluntly. Hermione stared at her. She was enjoying this. Luna smiled sweetly at her and Hermione burst out laughing. Luna joined in chuckling.

“It is not funny,” Hermione exclaimed through her own tears of mirth. But Luna knew she found it amusing as well. “I think that was a big realization for me. I just wasn’t attracted to him,” she paused here, wondering if she should venture forth into a discussion that had been plaguing her. She paused and took a breath, suddenly somber. She shook herself mentally. Now was probably not the best time to bring up her own questions about her sexuality. Luna was staring at her with that rather penetrating gaze of hers, seemingly reading Hermione’s thoughts she did not want to vocalize. Hermione shifted uncomfortably, before deciding to change tactics. “So what about you? Have you dated anyone recently?” 

Luna dropped the penetrating gaze and sighed in response. Hermione marveled at Luna’s ability to somehow never seem uncomfortable, as she reached for her own wine, taking a sip before responding.

“I was dating a woman several months ago,” she remarked, again staring out the window, seemingly lost in recalling this past relationship. She smiled wanly, her gaze drifting back to Hermione. “But that was a while ago, obviously. Recently, I’ve been too busy focusing on work.”

But that didn’t seem entirely true to Hermione. Luna didn’t lie though. She was always honestly bold to the point of making others feel uncomfortable. Hermione allowed this possible untruth to just be, as she didn’t want to press Luna. Instead, she reached across the table, grabbing the other woman’s hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

“I’m sorry,” Hermione said, her words laced with warmth, understanding, and (although she tried to suppress it) unmistakable pity. Luna stared blankly at their hands for a moment, before adopting her trademark drifty gaze with a smile that did not quite meet her eyes. 

“That’s quite alright,” she said, pulling her hand from Hermione’s grasp. “Well, I do think I’ll head for bed. We have another early start tomorrow, and I want us to be fully prepared as we’ll be working directly with the Erumpents and they can be quite daunting.” She floated down the hall and her door shut softly. Hermione could not quite shake the feeling that she had done something wrong, and as she drifted to sleep that night, images of willowy blonde girls danced in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Afrikaans used and the translations:
> 
> “Sy is ‘n dwaas!” is Afrikaans for “She is a fool!”
> 
> “wees versigtig” translates to “be careful” 
> 
> “Liewe” translates to “dear” 
> 
> I used Google translate so this may not be 100% accurate and I am not fluent in Afrikaans so forgive me if I’ve butchered the language here.
> 
> The “death stick” reference to Hermione’s broom was just a fun little addition I put in for Potterheads to appreciate the callback to The Elder Wand. Always love fun little nerd references :)
> 
> [Broomsticks (Pottermore page)](https://www.pottermore.com/explore-the-story/broomsticks)
> 
> [Cape Malay chicken curry with yellow rice (about the dish and the history mentioned in the story)](https://timelessdestinations.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/bo-kaap-the-history-and-a-traditional-cape-malay-curry/)
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter. What do you think of that broomstick flying scene with Luna teaching Hermione how to use her feelings? Tropey? Foreshadowing? I love a good trope, so sue me. Haha. What’s up with Luna, guys? Predictions? Comment with your thoughts and I’ll bring out the biscuit tin. Cheers! <3 Megan


	4. Vulnerability or Self-Preservation?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the sweet kudos and comments again! So blessed to have you guys as readers. As always, please, please, please, let me know what you think about the story! I love hearing from you guys. More notes about the chapter at the bottom if you wanna know more about the behind the scenes process. And as always, I’ve posed some questions for you guys to ponder on at the end :) 
> 
> Special thanks to Seamus_Fanigan, Kali_93, HachiRawr, and aguslay for the comments last chapter. Y’all give me LIFE. 
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> <3 Megan

The next day dawned bright and clear, as Hermione awoke to the rays of sunshine streaming through the open window. Today was the day she was finally going to interact with the Erumpents. She was both incredibly excited as well as rife with uncertainty about how she would do with the animals. With all of her creature and beast advocacy work, you would think she would be more comfortable in their presence; however, the last time Hermione came face-to-face with a creature she was advocating for, she ended up getting terrorized by a Knarl. She had mistakenly offered the small hedgehog looking animal a gift of food. Rookie mistake on her end. Harry and Ron had a field day after she told them that story. So now, she planned to heed all advice offered to her about Erumpents from those who worked with the beasts frequently. 

A small team from the Department of Magical Creatures office met Luna and Hermione at the villa as it was closer to the grassland area the Erumpents had been frequenting. To Luna’s credit, she acted no differently toward Hermione, despite the rather uncomfortable ending to their previous evening, and for that Hermione was grateful. She was already nervous about the Erumpents, she wanted to put aside whatever awkwardness had transpired between her and Luna the night before. Perhaps she was just reading too much into the other woman’s reaction anyway.

Once the team had assembled and a plan was established, they took it in turns to apparate to the edges of the Erumpents’ known territory. They separated into teams of two, for protection, in case an Erumpent were to attack and one needed a partner to help defend themselves. Hermione gulped at this information, but she wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing. Holding her wand tightly, Hermione and Lubanzi prepared to apparate together to the eastern side of the area. 

Lubanzi gave Hermione an appraising look. “Are you ready?” he asked, calculatingly. 

Hermione took one more calming breath and gave Lubanzi a decided nod. And with that there was a crack as the two disapparated away. They reappeared, as planned, on the east end of the territory. Hermione held her wand aloft, prepared for any possible threat. However, there was nothing in their immediate vicinity, and so Hermione began to cast a tracking charm to lead them to the herd. Lubanzi followed closely behind, on alert. 

After walking silently for about ten minutes, guided by Hermione’s wand, the two began to relax and Lubanzi sought to break the silence with some conversation. 

“So how was your evening, Miss Hermione?” Hermione gave Lubanzi a crooked grin and a chuckle in return. 

“Lubanzi, you can drop the formalities. I’m just Hermione,” she replied in exasperation. He laughed as well and motioned for her to go on. “It was a perfectly lovely evening. Luna and I had dinner. She made us an apparently common dish for the area, a kind of chicken curry?” Lubanzi nodded his understanding. “And we just caught up, I suppose. We were friends before the war and at school, but we—well, we rather lost touch after graduating.” 

“I see,” Lubanzi responded, formulating his thoughts. “What kept you from staying in touch?” Hermione’s gaze had been trained forward, following her wand’s tracking spell, however she turned to look at Lubanzi to size him up after that question. Although she didn’t know his motivations for asking her such a question, it was actually quite a relief to talk to someone about all of it. She still hadn’t gotten an owl back from Ginny or Harry yet and she felt like her mind kept going in circles around the same information. Perhaps another perspective would help. 

“Well,” she began, focusing her gaze forward again, “honestly, I wasn’t sure about Luna after we graduated. She’s always been kind and intelligent, but I always found her to be rather... eccentric. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her, to be honest, and so I didn’t really try to keep in touch…” And she drifted off in thought, feeling rather remorseful all of a sudden. Why had she been so dismissive of Luna? 

Lubanzi patted her on the back in a comforting sort of way before stating, “I understand. Sometimes, in our youth, we can be rather short-sighted.” His tone was kind and although he was direct, Hermione knew he wasn’t judging her too harshly. “Luna is… a wonderful person. It has been a pleasure getting to know her during her time here. Actually, it is nice to see her come alive again. Having her old friend here has greatly brightened her mood.”

Hermione sought to appear politely curious, but knew her eyes were bugging out of her skull when she asked, “My coming here has changed her behavior?” Lubanzi’s mouth twitched in the corner, and Hermione knew he was fighting a gleeful smile, but she didn’t care. 

“Oh yes,” he stated, but the smile slid from his face as he recalled more. “Actually, for some time she was quite unlike herself.” 

He looked uncertain if he could really say more, and Hermione followed along, answering knowingly, “Because of her past partner?” Lubanzi looked mildly surprised but also seemed relieved Hermione already knew.

He shrugged rather helplessly, “Yes. After Elaina left, she was quite… distraught. I’m sure you can understand.” Hermione nodded, getting lost in her thoughts again. She wanted to press on and ask more about her sudden behavior change with Hermione’s arrival. 

“So when you say—” but Lubanzi gestured ahead of them, motioning for Hermione to fall silent as they slowed their pace. As Hermione drew closer to a clearing ahead, her heartbeat quickened. And that’s when she saw them. There was a group only several kilos away of seven Erumpents. Hermione did not make a sound, but her mouth hung open in awe at these great beasts. 

The two moved forward slowly but did not bother to hide. Erumpents typically responded better to transparent approaches rather than sneak attacks. Hermione also remembered reading in Scamander’s text that Erumpents do not attack unless sorely provoked, but that their hides were thick and repelled most charms and hexes. Hermione was prepared with a few spells, just in case, but as she moved closer to them, she didn’t know if she would actually be able to strike against them. They were truly awe-inspiring creatures. 

The plan was to stay on the outskirts of the herd until they could identify the males in the group (if there were any), and then to place trackers on the males so they could monitor their migratory patterns across the plains and intercede if two males were coming close to each other during mating season. They had lost too many males to explosion with the poison in their horns during last season; they needed to ensure they did not lose so many again or the Erumpent population would be dangerously close to being unable to naturally sustain their own population. 

As Hermione and Lubanzi approached, she saw the others in their party approaching from the other sides as well. There were eight of them in total and each had taken a cardinal direction to approach from. Hermione could see Luna with another African wizard named Blessing approaching from the north. Luna was wide eyed and cautious, and she motioned for the other groups to stay back as Blessing and she continued their approach. The two of them had the most experience with the Erumpents and so would be the first team to make contact with the herd. 

When they were about 500 meters from the heard, Luna began to make snorting whistling sounds and Hermione stared at her in disbelief. However, as Luna continued to make the noises, one of the calves in the herd looked up to her and made a snort whistle in reply. The calf’s mother looked up as well and also made the trumpet like snort-sound and the two of them both looked on at Luna. She approached further, trumpeted again, and waited. Her patience and calm demeanor impressed Hermione. Hermione had learned to be quick-witted, fast-paced, and how to handle imminent peril thrown at her again and again. She was awful at sitting idly and waiting. She hated waiting. 

Luna remained standing, about 200 meters away from the herd now, and after what felt like an agonizingly long wait to Hermione, the calf began to make its way over to her, followed begrudgingly by its mother. As the calf approached, Luna held out a hand to it (to sniff? Hermione wondered), and the calf amazingly nuzzled its head into her palm. Luna need not worry about the horn on the calf as that did not develop until adolescence, however, when the mother approached and greeted Luna in the same manner, she took care to navigate around the deadly horn on the mother. After greeting the dominant female and her newest calf, Luna was free to walk amongst the herd and motioned for the others to join as well. 

The group flitted through the Erumpents making notes and observing the personal identifiers they could utilize to determine what Erumpent was what in future documentation. There was only one male in the herd, which was the youngest calf, and so they placed a tracking spell on him, so they could track him after his adolescence when he would begin mating. Hermione sat making notes about the beasts from a safe distance, occasionally getting up and walking about to get better descriptors but she did so from afar. 

“Have you said hello to them yet?” Hermione heard Luna query from overhead while she remained diligently taking notes under a nearby tree. 

Hermione looked up and stammered rather unconvincingly, “Well, yes, yes of course,” to which Luna only responded with a penetrating gaze. “Well—” Hermione carried on, biting her lip uncertainly. “I’m not sure…how to?” she finished lamely, feeling wildly incompetent and attempting to swallow the blush that threatened to creep up her face. 

Luna nodded once and held out her hand to Hermione. “Would you like me to show you?” 

Hermione had always struggled with putting her pride aside and taking help when it was offered, but she knew she would regret it if she did not take this opportunity. For Godric’s sake, she was in Africa! When would she get the chance to meet Erumpents in person again? Swallowing her pride, Hermione accepted Luna’s hand and muttered a quick, “That would be lovely.”

They walked over to the calf that had initially greeted Luna as he seemed the most open and receiving of the Erumpents, and Luna turned back to Hermione to coach her. “We must stay here. It is on the Erumpent’s terms if they want to approach and greet you or not. You must be patient.” Blast it all. She knew Luna was going to say that. She hated waiting. 

But Hermione did as she was instructed and calmly stood a short distance away. Luna made the trumpet whistle-snort she had made earlier, and the calf looked at her again. The calf looked between Luna and Hermione, the new comer, as if to say, Oi! You’ve brought a friend? And the calf’s curiosity won out as he slowly approached the two women. 

“Hold out your hand,” Luna instructed. Hermione again did as she was told, but clearly something was a bit off as Luna shook her head and attempted to demonstrate. “No, it’s more—” and she moved behind Hermione, delicately putting her hands on her waist. Hermione tried to quell the sharp intake of breath at Luna’s touch, but she was sure Luna heard it. Luna continued to square her hips toward the Erumpent calf, and readjusted Hermione’s outstretched arm. Luna placed her own arm along Hermione’s and they reached out together for the calf, with Luna’s other hand still around Hermione’s waist to make sure her stance was correct. Hermione could feel the small puffs of breath tickling the hairs at the nape of her neck and she felt a warmth in her core that was incredibly distracting.

Hermione’s body tingled at Luna’s touch and she struggled to remain focused on the approaching Erumpent. There is literally a dangerous magical creature approaching you, Hermione. Get a grip! The calf had finally reached them, stared at their entwined hands and nuzzled them. Hermione and Luna together greeted the calf and both of them laughed at the calf’s antics as it butted its head into their palms repeatedly, looking as if he was rather enjoying the attention. Luna hazarded a look at Hermione then and saw the young witch flushed with excitement. Her cheeks were slightly pink, her smile stretched wide across her face, her freckles emphasizing the dimples that were like little crescent moons on her face. Her hair was tied sloppily back in a half bun and there were errant curls escaping that made her look more alive, more daring, more…sexy.

Hermione caught Luna’s gaze and they shared a look. There was a hunger underlying the teasing, comfortable back and forth they had adopted with each other. Luna could see it in Hermione’s eyes, and she was sure her own were echoing the depths of want that was pulsing through her body at this moment. Luna sat up and took a deep clarifying breath to re-center herself. “Excellent job, Hermione,” and although she was attempting to regain her normal floaty speech, she knew she was betraying herself with the slight breathlessness that was catching on the lump in her throat. “Well, I’d best check in with Blessing to confirm we have the information needed…” And with that she floated away, leaving Hermione feeling confused and frustrated. 

***

After their morning of tracking Erumpents in the field, Hermione had returned to the villa, unused to the heat during the day, to take a mid-afternoon nap, while Luna went back to the Department to debrief with Melokuhle. 

“We tracked three herds this morning with our team and found four males in total. Mostly young calves at this point, which will be good for future mating seasons. We placed trackers on all of them,” Luna finished succinctly. Melokuhle nodded in response. 

“With the other teams that reported back that leaves us with just four more herds we need to do observations and identifiers with to finish up our inventory of males,” Melokuhle finished, summing up what needed to be done. Luna nodded in agreement, and Melokuhle could not help but notice that the young witch looked rather tired. “Are you alright, my liewe?” 

Luna’s shoulders dropped as she returned Melokuhle’s questioning gaze with her own. Luna was a very rational witch and she prided herself on this. She did not get overly emotional and instead used cool intellect to deal with challenges. She approached life bluntly, without apology or remorse. But she could not stifle this feeling of uncertainty. She wasn’t even sure if it was uncertainty, it had been so long since she could recall feeling this way. 

Luna sat at the table and massaged her temples briefly before responding, “I don’t know, Melokuhle. I just feel… like I’m holding back. Like I am… afraid. I feel so unlike myself. I just don’t understand.” Melokuhle sat beside Luna, squeezing the girl’s shoulder comfortingly. 

“You were let down, my liewe. You were disappointed, and heartbroken. And now you are scared to let another in.” It was a statement and not a question, and Luna was too logical to disagree with this sound reasoning anyway. It was no surprise that she knew what troubled Luna. Intensely observant and hyper-analytical, Melokuhle did not have to guess about the subject of Luna’s doubt. “I said to be cautious because I saw how much of a toll Elaina took on you. But there is a difference between being cautious and not being true to oneself.” She gave Luna a stern look and Luna gave her a small half smile in return. “Now, you are faced with the decision of vulnerability or self-preservation,” she paused, letting the words sink in for Luna. “To self-preserve we know what our limits are, what our strengths are, we know how to carry on just so. To meet expectations without pushing too hard perhaps. Vulnerability, however,” she trailed off and her eyes glazed over in a faraway look, “it is the true mark of courage. To allow yourself to feel. To push yourself. To fail. To hurt. This is vulnerability.” And with that she stood from the table, giving Luna’s hand a final squeeze. “Choose wisely, my liewe.” And she departed.

Luna cradled her face in her hands, pondering Melokuhle’s words and reflecting on her own jumbled thoughts and emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Knarl (from HP Wiki)](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Knarl)
> 
> [Erumpent (from HP Wiki)](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Erumpent)
> 
> Luna and Melokuhle’s conversation on vulnerability at the end of the chapter was inspired by the work of Brene Brown and this [TedTalk](https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en). I’m a social worker by profession so I couldn’t resist my sweet Luna having this little mentor heart-to-heart about vulnerability with Melokuhle. 
> 
> More tension between Hermione and Luna, and now we’ve got more of Luna’s background. It breaks my heart to think of Luna being left! 
> 
> So, I have more questions for you, as always. What did you think of the magical creature references? I referenced quite a bit of extended canon for that content with the HP wiki pages, the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book, etc. 
> 
> What did you think of Hermione in this chapter? She is very logical and is slowly getting on board with her feelings. Also impatient as hell which is definitely how I envision Hermione. What about Luna? She is also grounded in logic but in a very different way. More intuitive and a really strong sense of self as compared to Hermione who is more text book intelligent and reactive. Thoughts? Feelings?
> 
> Comments and kudos are like Erumpent nuzzles and treacle tarts! The more I get, the sooner your update shall be 
> 
> <3 Megan


	5. Confessions and Taking the Leap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much to everyone who read, commented and gave kudos for the last chapter. Special thanks to Vesperidian, Seamus_Fanigan, Lex1298, and aguslay for commenting last chapter. Here is the next installment of A Departure from Manifestos! Only one more chapter after this one you guys! It’s been quite a ride. A quick note, this chapter is why this story is rated explicit. You have been warned. Plow on if you want to see some plowing :) Sexy times abound! 
> 
> <3 Megan

When Hermione awoke from her nap, it was still light out. The summer nights were long, and the sun still hung well above the horizon. She wasn’t sure if Luna would be back yet or not, and tromped out into the hall, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She went to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen and observed Luna’s feet propped up on the porch railing, which she could just make out through the open door. 

Still coming out of the cloud of sleep, Hermione twisted her curls into a bun on the top of her head, grabbed her water, and headed for the porch. Luna was basking in the evening glow, watching the sun getting closer and closer to the horizon line, her bare feet kicked up and leaning back nonchalantly in the wooden lounge chair on the porch. Her gaze was fixed far off and she looked deep in thought as Hermione regarded her from the doorway. 

“Have you been back for a while?” she inquired gently. Luna was not alarmed at all by Hermione’s sudden presence and instead motioned for her to sit in the other lounge chair beside her. 

“An hour or so. I didn’t want to wake you. You looked quite exhausted after the long and enthralling morning we had,” she glanced up to observe Hermione and took in the other girl’s disheveled appearance. Tawny curls escaping her bun, clad in cotton shorts and a rumpled t-shirt, she looked unmistakably comfortable and refreshed. 

Hermione took the other seat by Luna’s side, folding herself into the chair, hugging her knees to her chest and asked, “So how did the debrief with Melokuhle go?” 

Luna shifted her gaze back out to the horizon and was momentarily quiet. Just a long enough silence that Hermione wondered if she should repeat the question. “It was a most illuminating conversation.” Hermione didn’t quite know what to make of this statement and so remained quiet, allowing a comfortable silence to nestle between them. 

Luna looked back to Hermione as the sun drifted lower, sinking partially beneath the skyline, and stated candidly, “I’m sorry.” 

Hermione turned to meet Luna’s gaze, quite confused at the direction this conversation had taken. “Why?” she asked, alarmed at her own unabashed candor. 

Luna smiled at this, impressed with Hermione being so direct. “I’ve been rather confusing, I’d imagine,” she stated, letting this sink in momentarily before continuing on. “I haven’t been myself lately and I’m sure you’ve gathered bits and pieces as to why.” She paused to allow Hermione to vocalize her thoughts.

“I’m assuming this has something to do with Elaina.” Hermione was blunt yet somehow delicate in her statement, appealing to Luna to explain further.

Luna sighed. “Yes. She was a volunteer at an orphanage in Cape Town. A muggle from America. We hit it off right away, but she was here temporarily and wanted nothing more than a fling…” Luna trailed off, the bitter hurt that was once present when she spoke of Elaina had lessened to a dull pang of loss. “She was open and honest about this from the beginning. But I was brash. Spontaneous. And wanted intimacy and passion, unafraid and unaware of the cost of such things.” She took another deep breath and Hermione remained quiet, regarding her with a most empathetic expression. 

“She left, and I felt…broken. Lost. Uncertain. Things that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. And it was hard to pick up the pieces.” Her voice betrayed little of the raw emotion she was describing, but Hermione could see in the nervous fidgeting of her hands and the unmistakable lump in her throat that this was hard for her to talk about. And Hermione couldn’t help but feel honored she trusted her with this. That she was willing to be so open and exposed with her.

Hermione reached out to Luna, grabbing her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Luna looked up at her, and even though Hermione had heard her state her level of discomfort and confusion, it was odd to see Luna’s eyes reflect that. Hermione had always known her to be sure of herself, confident, and unapologetic for eccentricity. But this stripped-down expression haunting Luna’s face was one Hermione was sure she would not forget. 

“Thank you for telling me,” Hermione said, her voice laced with warmth. “You are not alone.” 

Luna genuinely smiled at this and responded, “Thanks, Hermione. It has been wonderful having you here. You’ve helped bring me back to my old self again, and I can’t thank you enough for that.” 

They sat in a comfortable silence for quite some time before finally drifting into their separate bedrooms for the night.

***

Hermione rose early for another day of tracking Erumpent herds. Today, however, they would be using river canoes to navigate to some of the other herds along the river’s edge. There were several herds located along the Sand River, and the best way to navigate was two-person canoes. It was decided that each two-person team was looking for a different herd in order to finish up the Erumpent tracking and management system before mating season. As they were departing from the villa together, it was determined that Hermione and Luna would take the most southern herd along the Sand River and each team would report back to the Department after their inventory was complete. 

It was turning out to be a rather overcast and dreary day by all accounts as Hermione gathered her equipment for the day and met Luna on the porch, prepared to apparate and finish up with their assigned herd. The two women apparated to the western riverbank, where there was a canoe left for them, and readied themselves to float down the river. Luna set about organizing the canoe for departure while Hermione again cast the tracking spell to lead them to the herd. 

“Are you ready?” Hermione asked, reviewing her map once more. 

Luna gave a final tug to secure their supplies in the canoe and responded, “As ready as I’ll ever be. Hop in Hermione and I’ll push us off.” Hermione settled into the bow of the canoe and grabbed her oar, set to paddle. She was a bit excited. She had never been in a canoe before. But how hard could it be really? 

The river was not by any means raging, however, Hermione was not entirely prepared for the level of physicality running a river required. Hermione’s hands chaffed against the wooden oars as she felt the beginnings of blisters begin to form. Luna guided Hermione with her oar strokes and they careened down the river, with Hermione somehow trying to follow her wand (which rested across her legs, guiding them) as she continued to paddle. Luckily, they had only been at it for twenty minutes when Hermione’s wand glowed, indicating they should pull off and that the herd was close. 

Although Hermione almost tipped the canoe in her excitement to get on shore, they both managed to hoist the canoe up the riverbank so that it remained safely out of the water’s reach. They pulled the canoe into the brush of the grasslands and as they retreated away from the boat, Hermione again looked at her wand to see where the tracker was leading them. Luna, however, reached out and grabbed Hermione’s arm, her gaze aimed up at the sky. What had started as an overcast day was about to turn into a down pour by the looks of it. The sky crackled with heat lightning and within seconds, great droplets of water were crashing down around them. 

Hermione dove into her bag and produced a tent. “Come on, let’s wait out the worst of the storm!” she exclaimed loudly, quickly setting the temporary shelter up before she could get any more drenched. Luna rushed in after her, grinning. 

“Of all the luck!” she said laughing. “It rains maybe three days in the summer months, but when it does, it pours!” She looked around the tent curiously. It was quite spacious actually. “Is this the tent you, Harry, and Ron used for Horcrux hunting?” 

Hermione was already pulling out her maps as she looked back at Luna and her back straightened infinitesimally at the mention of the Horcruxes. “Yes,” she said softly, flatly, as she averted her gaze refusing to meet Luna’s eyes. 

Seeing Hermione’s discomfort, Luna attempted to lighten the mood again, “Do you always pack tents in your bag?” And Hermione did chuckle at that, losing some of the rigidity that had momentarily settled around her. Horcrux hunting had left a very real scar on her heart, and it still hung heavy on her and the loss they suffered during that time. The torture she endured. She visibly shook herself, attempting to rid the memories that had come unbidden into her mind.

“I suppose I got into the habit of it,” she whispered shakily, attempting to return to herself. The two girls sat, watching the rain fall from inside their little shelter in silence. Hermione watched Luna out of the corner of her eye and saw that there were still rain drops clinging to her eyelashes and nose. Perhaps it was because she was reminded of a time when she feared she would die without experiencing intimacy. A time when she cried herself to sleep more often than not. When every day could have been her last. The wounds from that time were not only in her mind but also her heart, and it was with this quiet remembrance that a new kind of resolve crept in. 

Not even really thinking what she was doing, responding more on instinct and spontaneity (words that would hardly be used to describe Hermione Granger), she reached out her hand to the blonde turning her face toward her and brushed the water from her nose and gently moved to tuck a rain soaked lock of hair behind her ear. Her hand lingered on Luna’s jaw before her thumb, with a traitorous mind of its own, swept tantalizingly across the contour of her plump bottom lip. 

In that moment, deep brown eyes met cool and clear blue. Luna decided it was time. Time to let her fear fade and her hurt quell. Time to trust her instincts as she once did. Time to act on this growing heat between them. She reached out to Hermione, cupping her face in her hand, drawing her forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips. 

Although Hermione’s initial shock stunned her, she felt her eyes drift closed as her hands came up to tangle in Luna’s hair, as the gentle kiss deepened. The want and need that had been a flickering spark between them roared into a consuming flame as Hermione parted her lips and allowed her tongue to drift across Luna’s lower lip. Those perfect lips she could never seem to tear her gaze away from. 

Luna threaded her fingers up and down Hermione’s arm, making small patterns across the brunette’s tanned skin. As she made her way up to Hermione’s shoulder, she broke off their kiss and Hermione let out a disgruntled gasp, before Luna repositioned herself over Hermione’s lap, boldly straddling her, and began sucking at the pressure point just below Hermione’s left ear. She traced patterns with her tongue that just barely grazed her skin, leaving a trail of heat and want pooling in Hermione’s core. Her flesh seemed to be burning with an icy fire where Luna had touched, and Hermione wanted more. 

Luna gasped in surprise as Hermione’s hand skirted just under the edge of her shirt’s fabric, teasing at the flesh just underneath, her fingers gently drifting across the small of her back as she made to pull off Luna’s tank top. Their eyes met again as Hermione wordlessly sought her permission and Luna raised her hands aloft in response. 

As her shirt came free, Hermione could not help but be struck by her beauty. Luna’s blonde hair fell almost to her waist in a sheet of dirty blonde waves. Still damp from the rain, it looked slightly darker than usual, but her eyes remained a stark contrast. They were a piercing blue against her pearlescent white skin. She seemed to glow with a sense of radiance. Luna did not wear a bra as her breasts were small and pert, her nipples taught and pink. She was so fresh and ethereal, Hermione sighed as she kissed her stomach, her rib cage, her nipple, and finally her mouth. 

Hermione clung to her, pouring into these kisses the frustration and longing that had been suppressed within her. Luna relinquished her lips and the heat that raged between them only seemed to grow. With more urgency, Luna slid her fingers down Hermione’s sides and began to tease the fabric of her shirt as well, her fingers brushing against Hermione’s skin as she slid the shirt over her head in one swift movement. 

The t-shirt fell aside and Hermione remained in a simple black bra. No lace. No frills. Simple and sexy. Luna unfastened the bra delicately, pulling it away from her body and allowing it to be cast aside as well. Hermione looked at Luna and there was a vulnerability in her eyes that shook Luna. Luna again wrapped her arms around Hermione’s neck, drawing her in for another scorching kiss before she pulled back, her lips hovering next to Hermione’s ear as she whispered, “You are beautiful.” 

Luna pulled Hermione to her feet only to again be accosted in a passionate embrace with Hermione attempting to steer them to the bedroom in the tent. 

Luna shimmied out of her shorts and knickers before falling back on the bed, naked and unabashed. Hermione slipped out of her own shorts before climbing on the bed as well, placing delicate kisses up the lengths of Luna’s body, pausing every now and then to pay particular attention to a spot when it elicited a gasp from Luna. Hermione was hesitant in her probing but relishing in the feel of Luna’s body underneath hers. 

Hermione gently suckled at a sensitive spot between Luna’s earlobe and her neck that made Luna moan in pleasure. Hermione let her hands explore Luna’s lithe body and found her hand snaking its way to the valley between her thighs. Luna arched her back as Hermione’s fingers grazed her clit, skimming the delicate flesh of her folds. Luna grabbed Hermione’s hand and pressed it more firmly against her clit, relishing in the friction and gasping again in pleasure. Hermione responded to Luna’s ministrations, quickening the pace of her stroking and deepening the pressure. Hermione abandoned Luna’s mouth to give all of her attention to Luna’s impending orgasm. 

Hermione nestled between Luna’s legs, placing a kiss on her clit before sliding her tongue into her slick folds. Hermione’s tongue stroked her clit again and again while she slid two fingers inside her, building up momentum and increasing the pressure steadily. 

“Oh gods!” Luna burst out as she bucked against Hermione’s fingers, riding closer to orgasm as Hermione brought her over the edge by flicking her clit for a final time with her tongue. Luna shuddered, spent, as Hermione nestled beside her, grinning broadly. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.” Luna cast a serene smile in reply before kissing Hermione fully on the mouth. Relishing in the taste of her own climax on Hermione’s lips. 

“Now, it’s my turn,” Luna whispered conspiratorially before beginning her own exploration of Hermione’s body. She trailed gentle kisses from her breasts, down her rib cage, and stroking the delicate skin just above her clit. Luna coaxed and teased Hermione, beginning to strum her clit, only to take her hand away and focus on grazing a nipple. Hermione’s want grew more and more, her cries of desperation growing stronger as Luna again stroked her clit sensually, with more ferocity only to place a chaste kiss to Hermione’s lips and trace teasingly light patterns across her inner thighs. Hermione finally growled in frustration and Luna smiled, taking this as her cue to ramp up her attentions to Hermione’s keening. 

Luna settled between Hermione’s legs, before beginning to rub her clit with the pads of her fingers, gently at first, tracing the outer lips of Hermione’s sex with her tongue. Hermione was already wet with pleasure and crying out for more, trying to tamp down the urge to buck her hips against Luna’s fingers. 

“Please Luna!” Hermione burst out. Luna inserted two fingers, gently pulsing them in time to her tongue skating across Hermione’s clit. She pushed her fingers deeper, rocking them in time with Hermione’s hips, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. Luna then took Hermione’s swollen clit into her mouth and began sucking, her tongue flicking the sensitive nub in a steady rhythm, her pace quickening. Hermione could feel her orgasm rushing closer and closer, on the brink of losing it.

“Oh fuck!” she cried as Luna pulsed her fingers like vibrations over Hermione’s clit for a final time as Hermione came. Hermione’s body quaked with pleasure as Luna again skated her fingers ever so gently across the skin of her thighs, climbing up to lay by her side. Luna fit in neatly, their bodies entwined in a tangle of limbs, as Luna rested her head on Hermione’s breast.

Hermione giggled as she looked down at Luna, “Well, that was… brilliant.” She finished, laughing further at her lack of articulation. One of the few times Hermione Granger could not be bothered to find the perfect turn of phrase or the proper diction to express herself. Instead, she allowed herself to feel the heat of Luna’s skin pressed against hers. Smell the Tea Tree scent from Luna’s hair as it ensnared her senses. She finally was able to let go of what she thought she should be; her sense of decorum; her need to plan and manage and organize. All of that fell away in that moment. She was with Luna, here and now. 

Luna smiled as well, again tracing her fingers delicately over Hermione’s tanned skin. Luna took a deep calming breath and re-centered. She felt more like herself than she had in weeks. She found herself tracing looping shapes on Hermione’s stomach and arms. She allowed herself to be happy and satiated and free from doubt for just this moment. To be comforted in a lover’s embrace and to press her face into the shelter of Hermione’s soft and supple neck. Allowing herself to nuzzle the delicate flesh there and delight in Hermione’s squeal of ticklishness. It felt safe. It felt comforting. It felt liberating. 

They basked in each other’s post-orgasm bliss for a minute, an hour, a fortnight, Hermione couldn’t be sure, before Luna delicately interjected, “Well, I think it’s stopped raining.” Both women burst out in laughter, before regretfully dawning their clothes and finishing the job they came here to do: track Erumpents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone read this fic on Fanfiction.net prior to my posting here, just know I have rewritten some of this chapter to further flesh out Hermione and Luna’s budding relationship and to allow the reader to see more of each woman’s thought process. If you have read it on FFN, let me know what you think about the changes. 
> 
> Otherwise, dear readers, what did you think of the sex? Was this what you were predicting? I’m not sure if some people will like this as there is not one person who is take charge and dominant. I wanted Hermione and Luna’s relationship to be a true partnership in equal measure. Both women are strong in their own right and bring those different strengths to the table. Because of this, both initiate different aspects of sex. It is very give and take with these two.
> 
> Also, what did you think of their little porch chat? Again, I don’t know how much people will like this because in quiet a lot of romantic fiction there seems to be this trope of not talking to each other or communicating about your feelings. While I understand this is used as a plot device a lot of the time, it often frustrates me. To me, Luna and Hermione just wouldn’t be those people. Luna is too honest and confident in her sense of self and Hermione has learned from her past failure with Ron. But let me know your thoughts around this. 
> 
> Final chapter next week y’all! I can’t believe it! Kudos, comments, and bookmarks are like stolen summertime kisses and comforting cuddles. 
> 
> <3 Megan


	6. Shall We Give it a Go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is folks! The moment you’ve been WAITING FOR. The finale. Special thanks to my commenters from last week: Seamus_Fanigan, aguslay, HachiRawr, and M_bitt. You guys are the bee’s knees. It’s been a dream writing this little project and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. This was a departure (ha! Puns abound!) from my typical pairings. Hope you’ve enjoyed! Next project is up in the air at this time as I’ve recently been immersed in the Star Wars universe and have been reading a bunch of those fics. So possibly a Reylo? If you’re into my writing style and have specific fic ideas you think I should look into, I’m all ears. 
> 
> Also, another explicit warning. More sex abounds in this chapter. You have been warned.

It was hard for Hermione not to steal glances at Luna across the table at the final debriefing. They had finished tracking the last herds of Erumpents and the measures for ensuring the males would not explode one another during the next mating season were well under way. After a final review of the manifesto and a quick overview of next steps they were dismissed. Hermione could have sworn Melokuhle winked at her before everyone was out the door, but she couldn’t be sure. 

Luna had waited for Hermione just outside the door, and the two walked together to the apparition point to head back to the villa. It was a challenge to keep their hands to themselves as they walked and after apparating, Luna pushed Hermione against the kitchen island before snogging her senseless. They kissed passionately, with Hermione opening her mouth, her tongue skirting Luna’s lips for access. Luna responded in kind before Hermione flipped their positions, hoisting Luna so that she was sitting on top of the kitchen counter, her legs wrapped around Hermione’s waist pulling her closer. As Hermione’s hands sought the edge of Luna’s shirt and skimmed the skin of her hips, Luna broke away from the kiss, gasping. 

Hermione, eyes still dark with desire and a bit out of breath from the intensity of their kiss, tried to gather her wits and ask a coherent question, “Is everything alright?” 

Luna nodded, resting her forehead against Hermione’s and swallowed to regain her own logical frame of mind and not the part that was screaming at her for breaking this kiss. “Yes, but… we should probably talk about this before we carry on.” 

Hermione took a deep steading breath, attempting to reign in her thudding heart and blazing nerves. She nodded in response, “Of course.” She slowly retracted her hands that had been migrating up underneath Luna’s shirt, apparently of their own will. “Yes, let’s have a rational conversation about all of this.” 

But Luna couldn’t help but laugh at this. Hermione’s hair was a chaotic mess of sex-crazed curls, her mouth swollen and red from kissing, and her shirt bunched up from where Luna had her hands balled in the fabric. She looked rather distracting and delicious. But this was her idea, so she’d best try and get herself in check enough to have some semblance of intelligent thought. 

“Yes,” she said through giggles, coming down off the counter, grabbing Hermione’s hand and escorting her to the kitchen table. “So,” Luna began attempting to swallow the laughter that threated to overtake her again, “what do you think about—” she gestured vaguely in between Hermione and herself, “this,” she finished lamely. 

Hermione took another breath to refocus herself and to quit picturing Luna naked and in ecstasy on the bed from earlier today. She shook herself. Get a grip, Hermione. “Right,” she started, looking at Luna and wringing her hands a bit. “Well, for starters, I like you.” Luna smiled. Hermione laughed. “Sorry, that’s rather lame, but what I mean is, I like that you bring out a different side in me. You make me feel more courageous, more carefree, but you challenge me as well. You push me out of my comfort zone—” she put her head in her hands and attempted to tame her sex hair, “clearly.” They both broke out into laughter at that. “But you’re smart, confident, sexy, talented…” and she was looking at Luna fiercely at this point. “And I feel ashamed I was dismissive of you at school. You are without a doubt, someone I deeply respect and admire. Both as a colleague and as a friend. And…” she trailed off. “I’m not certain what you want from us, and I’m not entirely certain I know what I want at this point, but—” and she looked like she was screwing up a whole other level of courage for this part, “I know I want you.” And she exhaled finally, relieved she’d managed to choke out the words. She was sure she was all sorts of shades of pink and red, flushed from head to toe in exasperation at herself, embarrassment at her vulnerability, and a lingering fear she could not shake.

Luna had a gentle smile on her face that didn’t indicate what she was thinking or feeling. It was that same infuriatingly puzzling smile Luna often wore that rather drove Hermione mad. And then the smile fell away to be replaced by an ear to ear, toothy grin that Hermione didn’t think she had ever seen the other girl wear before. “Well that’s a relief,” Luna breathed with a laugh, grabbing for Hermione’s hands. “I want you too,” she said simply before carrying on. “I am so impressed with how much you have grown and learned to embrace the things that may not always make sense at first glance. But I’ve always admired your compassion, your empathy, and your brilliance,” and Hermione couldn’t help the pricks of heat at the corners of her eyes. 

Luna’s gaze shifted to their intertwined hands across the table as she began tracing light patterns across the back of Hermione’s hand. “When you first came here, I was still wallowing in hurt. I felt like a walking shell of my former self,” her eyes shifted back onto Hermione and their gazes locked. “When you arrived, I anticipated the same bossy brazen Gryffindor I’d known from school, bent on dismissing me,” Hermione’s eyes widened as she once again felt shame for how she had treated Luna at school. Luna squeezed her hand gently as if to say, It’s alright. “What I didn’t expect was someone open to a new country, a new culture, different ways of doing things, being open to leaving books behind and allowing instinct and intuition to guide you.” She smiled softly at Hermione again. “It was enough to wake up that part of myself that had gone dormant,” she paused again, swallowing a lump that had risen in her throat and Hermione thought she saw the blonde’s eyes become glassier. “You were enough.” 

Hermione rose, unable to take the distance between them any longer, and pulled Luna to her feet, engulfing her in a hug that allowed no space between them, bodies flushed, as Hermione cradled the back of Luna’s head and rocked them on the spot. Luna squeezed Hermione back before raising her head from the other woman’s shoulder, smiling once again. “I was a bit scared and uncertain when I felt something happening between us,” she said steadily, watching for Hermione’s reaction, “But I’m so glad it did. I think you might be worth the risk of getting hurt again.” And it was Hermione’s turn to fight the lump in her throat and brush away a few treacherous tears. 

“So, what do you say?” Luna queried. “Shall we give it a go?” But instead of responding, Hermione tilted Luna’s chin up, capturing her lips in a searing kiss again. It was sweet and sedative all at once, seemingly drugging Luna’s senses as her eyes drifted shut and her limbs ached with want. Luna responded by tangling her hands in Hermione’s lush curls before gently pulling her head back to expose Hermione’s creamy throat. Hermione gasped a harsh intake of breath as Luna dotted languid kisses up her neck before finding the sensitive flesh just below her earlobe. Luna then made her way to the pulse point at the base of Hermione’s neck, and Hermione’s whole chest had become flushed with desire as she sharply took in a breath. 

Luna was just about to explore the rosy hue of Hermione’s chest and shoulders, before Hermione again turned the tables and pressed Luna back against the table, before roughly grabbing the blonde’s hips and hoisting her so that she was sitting on the kitchen table, her legs once again coming to wrap around Hermione’s waist. Hermione traced tauntingly soft patterns across Luna’s stomach as her hands roved under her shirt. Although the summer night was a warm one, Luna’s skin erupted into gooseflesh under Hermione’s ministrations. Hermione kissed Luna fiercely as she began to unbutton Luna’s blouse, allowing the fabric to fall away from the fair witch’s shoulders and leave her pert breasts bare, nipples pink and erect. 

Hermione trailed kisses down the other girl’s neck, gently teasing her nipple with one hand and skimming under Luna’s shorts with the other. When Hermione brushed her fingers across her swollen sex Luna couldn’t help but gasp aloud. Her whole body was ablaze and every small sensation was driving her mad with lust. Hermione broke away from kissing Luna’s neck and chest to grin at her before pulling Luna towards the edge of the table again, and in one fluid movement pulled her shorts and knickers off. 

Luna now sat bare on the kitchen table as Hermione sank to her knees, Luna draping her legs over Hermione’s shoulders. Hermione began to work her clit slowly, gently brushing the sensitive nub with her thumb while she began to stroke Luna’s sex with her tongue. Luna was already incredibly aroused and wet, and Hermione began to work into a rhythm with her fingers and her tongue that made Luna keen and gasp. Hermione worked two fingers in and out of Luna at a rapidly increasing pace and began sucking on her swollen clit and Luna gasped out, “Oh, please… yes!” Her climax came crashing into her as her hips pulsed convulsively into Hermione’s gently teasing fingers. Hermione released Luna’s clit with a final flick of her tongue as she once again moved to stand. 

“That was incredible,” Luna sighed contently as Hermione glowed at the praise. Hermione rested her hands on the blonde’s hips, gently running her hands up and down her sides as Luna came back to herself. “If you’d like to move this into my bedroom, I have more…items that may enhance our pleasure, if you would like?” Hermione met Luna’s gaze, looking at once both curious and intrigued at this statement. Luna quickly hopped down from the table, grabbed Hermione’s hand and lead them to her bedroom, before pulling from her side table drawer a sizeable black strap-on. 

Hermione’s eyes widened as she couldn’t help but feel slightly shocked. But with Hermione, curiosity always seemed to win out.

“Have you ever used one before?” Luna asked patiently. Hermione shook her head no, before Luna approached her, gently kissing her as she began removing her shirt. Luna allowed her hands to wander over Hermione’s body leaving trails of fire where her touch left Hermione wanting. With her shirt and bra removed, Luna began to tease Hermione’s nipples, working the pink buds until just the slightest touch had Hermione gasping in pleasure. Luna then pushed Hermione gently onto the bed and rid her of her shorts and knickers, allowing her nails to drag ever so lightly down Hermione’s thighs as she took her clothes off. Hermione now lay naked atop Luna’s bed, breathing heavily, eyes dark. 

Luna began stroking Hermione’s clit, as she plunged two fingers inside her, quickening her pace. Hermione was already wet and on the verge of panting when Luna sunk between the girl’s thighs and began to stroke her walls with her tongue. Hermione gasped and felt on the verge of orgasm when Luna pulled back causing Hermione to let out a strangled cry of frustration. 

Luna smiled softly at her before again grabbing the strap-on and shimming it up her slender hips. Hermione couldn’t help biting the inside of her cheek from nervousness as Luna approached her, looking confident, commanding, and insanely erotic. Luna’s dirty blonde hair fell in a sheet of soft waves behind her back as she approached Hermione on the bed. Hermione could have sworn her eyes had taken on a darker shade of blue as Luna nestled herself between Hermione’s legs. Luna kissed the top of Hermione’s knee as she again traced tantalizing shapes along her inner thighs, working her way up to her sex. As her fingers found the way into Hermione’s entrance, Hermione couldn’t help a loud keening escape her. 

“I just wanted to be sure you were ready for me,” Luna whispered, smiling again at how wet Hermione was. Hermione found herself speechless, unable to form her desire into any coherent thought or word apart from a pitiful mewling noise followed by a furious nodding of her head. At this assertion, Luna aligned the thick black strap on with Hermione’s entrance and pushed gently forward. Hermione grunted as she felt her walls stretching to accommodate the girth. 

Hermione wrapped her legs around Luna, pulling the girl in further, before she ground out, “More.” Luna’s eyes widened but she did as was instructed and began to guide the cock in and out of Hermione in small increments. Hermione moaned again at the friction, the stretch, and the pulsing of her core. 

Luna caressed Hermione’s breasts, brushing the tips of her nipples with her fingertips, and tweaking the soft pink flesh as she ground out a rhythm with her hips, pulsing the black cock in and out of Hermione as she sank deeper and deeper into her core. “Turn over, Hermione,” she gasped out. And in the haze of her lust-filled brain, Hermione was able to comply, flipping onto her stomach as Luna again lined up at her entrance, taking her from behind. From this angle, the black cock was able to hit a place within her Hermione had not known existed. 

“Oh fuck! Luna… yes! Just like that,” she moaned, balancing on her forearms, her bum in the air, as Luna again worked into a rhythm, grasping Hermione’s hips as she thrust in again and again, at an ever-faster pace. Hermione could feel her orgasm building as she pressed back into Luna with more urgency. The slap of skin to skin contact could be heard and Hermione was panting explicatives now, coming apart at the seams. Luna reached around and toyed with the bundle of nerves of her clit and Hermione came. Urgently and recklessly, she cried out and felt her sex pulse as her orgasm crashed over her. 

Luna withdrew and took off the strap on before coming to lay beside Hermione. Hermione’s eyes were dark in a hooded bliss, and Luna immediately wrapped her arms around her, resting the brunette’s head on her chest. Both women utterly spent and content. 

Luna had allowed her eyes to drift closed, as she heard Hermione finally speak. “So… when do I get my turn with the strap on?” Luna burst into laughter as Hermione smiled cheekily up at her through her lashes. 

***

It was September and Ginny bustled about the cottage, attempting to clean and prepare food, with the aid of magic of course, while searching for her husband’s grey trousers. “Here they are, Harry!” she exclaimed triumphantly pulling them from behind the armchair in their living room. The broom and dustpan that was roving the house almost knocked Harry to the ground as he made his way into the room. He swore loudly as he tripped over the dustpan, spilling dirt back across the floor. 

“Where were they?” he grumbled, giving his shin a rub as he winced. Ginny rolled her eyes. Honestly. 

“They were behind the arm chair,” she stated, charming the potatoes to peel themselves over the rubbish bin. 

“Why the devil were they behind the arm chair?” he asked perplexed. Ginny sidled up to him, grinning smugly. 

“You remember that very belated birthday present I gave you?” she purred as she grabbed his bum. Harry’s eyes went wide, and he blushed a bit as he recalled said birthday present. He grinned roguishly at her. “Oh yes…” he trailed off, pulling her to him for a searing kiss. “Shall we have a repeat of that? I can lose my trousers all over again,” he said, nibbling at her neck. But Ginny pulled away laughing. 

“Oi! We’re having people over in half an hour, Potter! Hermione’s Welcome Home party isn’t going to fix itself,” she said, as she continued to fix dinner with her wand. Harry chuckled in response before pulling on the aforementioned trousers. 

“A raincheck then?” And Ginny only giggled in response.

Ron, Neville, and Hannah arrived a bit later to help with any last-minute party preparations, and to catch up for a bit. 

“So, when did Hermione say she’d be coming in, Ginny?” Ron asked, picking up a slice of the homemade bread Ginny had made for the occasion. Before Ron could take a bite, Ginny smacked it from his hand tutting loudly. 

“Not until Hermione arrives, Ron!” And she glanced at her watch. “She should be here any minute.” Just as she finished the phrase, a knock resounded on the door. Harry, being nearest, pulled the door open to reveal, not only Hermione but also Luna in tow. Ginny shrieked in surprise before pouncing on her friends. 

“You didn’t tell me Luna was coming home as well!” Ginny carried on, engulfing both of them in bone crushing hugs. “Obviously I knew you were working together in Africa, but Luna, I thought you were continuing to contract with the South African ministry until the spring.”

Luna stole a glance at Hermione before meeting Ginny’s questioning gaze, “Yes, I was, but I decided I’d end my contract early and come back with Hermione.” Ginny nodded, guiding the two in. Harry offered to take their coats, and the friends all migrated back into the kitchen. 

“We wanted to surprise you,” Hermione said, smiling widely at Ginny’s excitement. She hugged Ron, Harry, Neville and Hannah in turn as well. “Merlin, it’s wonderful to see you lot!” Luna roved around the group, giving hugs and kisses as well, before the flurry of questions descended on the two. 

“So, Africa? How was it then?” 

“What were the Erumpents like up close?” 

“How did you like your co-workers there?”

“What was the food like?”

“What did you do for fun?” 

And Hermione and Luna did their best to answer their friends’ questions, attempting to swallow a bite of food now and again, and occasionally sharing furtive glances. Hermione made her way over to Luna, who was propped up on the kitchen counter top. Luna smiled at her, sliding from the counter to stand by her side and reached for her hand. Hermione, instead, snuck her arm around Luna’s waist as they stood together, talking with Ginny and Neville. Harry, Ron, and Hannah were in the dining room, discussing a few of the brews The Leaky Cauldron had just put on tap. Ginny’s eyes fixed on her two friends, quite literally attached at the hip, and watched as a hooded smile passed between the two. She knew that sort of smile. 

“Neville, can you go fetch me a cutting board from on top of the cabinets?” she said, shoving Neville rather roughly away. He gave her a rather indignant look, but obligingly did as he was asked nonetheless. She whirled around to her two friends again, looking back and forth between the two. 

Her eyes narrowed skeptically. “Are you two…” she trailed off. In response Hermione smiled and blushed, before Luna affirmed with a nod and an affectionate smile directed at Hermione. Ginny dropped her glass, before whopping loudly. “I KNEW IT!” she shrieked, attempting to jig in the midst of broken glass. The whole room had fallen quiet as everyone stared wordlessly at Ginny’s eruption. Hermione cast a quick reparo. Ginny finally seemed to realize everyone had stopped and was staring at her. Ginny looked to Hermione and Luna, unsure how exactly they wanted to proceed. 

Luna cleared her throat delicately, “Hermione and I are a couple. And Ginny got a bit excited. Everyone can carry on,” she said loftily, giving Hermione a quick chaste kiss before nibbling delicately on a croissant. 

Everyone looked to Hermione to confirm this, to which she blushed and nodded. There was another beat of silence, before there was a scrape of a chair as Ron rose from the table. “Looks like we’ve got more to celebrate than just these two being home! Everyone, raise your glasses to Hermione and Luna. Cheers!” He exclaimed. Hermione and Luna beamed, interlacing their fingers and raising their glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s all folks! Hope you enjoyed. From the original posting on FFN, I have added a WHOLE NEW SEX SCENE. So, I hope y’all enjoyed it. It was a blast writing. I’ve never written a strap on scene before, so give me your thoughts in comments if you so choose. I also added quite a bit to Luna’s dialogue when her and Hermione discuss their relationship at the start of the chapter. Thoughts about this. Again, I really like the dynamic of their relationship as it feels to me like a true partnership. Both of them are equally vulnerable. Both are equally aggressive in the bedroom. I like that Luna and Hermione are all about balancing each other with give and take. 
> 
> Also, how’d you guys feel about Ginny’s reaction? And Ron! I really wanted him to be the one to do the toast and make sure everyone accepted and welcomed their relationship. Ron can be a real bro when he isn’t being an idiot. 
> 
> Anyway, hope everyone liked the conclusion! It’s been such a pleasure responding to comments and getting kudos notifications. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of you who followed this story as it was being released and if you’ve enjoyed please let me know with a kudos, comment, or bookmark. Cheers! 
> 
> <3 Megan

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed the prologue! Read and review for house points and chocolate frog cards :)
> 
> This story is completed and will be updated weekly. But the more kudos could prompt me to update quicker. Cheers!


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